


my time is like a piece of wax

by middlecyclone



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/F, Femslash February Trope Bingo, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-01
Updated: 2014-03-01
Packaged: 2018-01-14 04:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1252582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/middlecyclone/pseuds/middlecyclone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Do we have any way of getting back to the 21st century?” Ann asks. “Like, do we have an escape plan for this?”</p><p>“No,” Leslie admits. “It was a time machine I bought on eBay, okay, I didn’t expect it to actually work.”</p><p>“All right,” Ann says. “So we’ve got to live in the 1870s. Great.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	my time is like a piece of wax

**Author's Note:**

> Written (slightly late, sorry) for the time travel square of [Femslash February Trope Bingo](femtropebingo.tumblr.com).
> 
> Also, it would be very easy to read this fic as platonic friendship. It is not. Immediately after the end of this fic, Ann and Leslie put on sunbonnets, ride off into the sunset together, and kiss a bunch of times before they inevitably die of dysentery.

“This is incredible,” Leslie breathes, “It’s like a dream come true!”

“This is not good,” Ann says anxiously. “Leslie, this is really not good.”

“This is the best day of my life!” Leslie squeals.

“This is the worst day of my life,” Ann groans.

At that, Leslie turns to look at her, eyes wide and betrayed. “Ann, we are experiencing history first-hand. We are going to be around for the birth of the nation! We can go see the Declaration of Independence be signed! We can help George Washington create the best country in the world!”

“No,” Ann says, “we can’t, because we’re women and I’m not white and everything is terrible. Also, it’s 1870, not 1770. At best, we can go churn some butter in the wilderness.”

Leslie’s face falls at that. “Okay,” she admits, “Parts of this are admittedly sub-optimal.”

Ann stares at her. 

“Extremely sub-optimal,” Leslie concedes further. “Okay, yeah, you’re right, everything is terrible.”

“Do we have any way of getting back to the 21st century?” Ann asks. “Like, do we have an escape plan for this?”

“No,” Leslie admits. “It was a time machine I bought on eBay, okay, I didn’t expect it to actually work.”

“All right,” Ann says. “So we’ve got to live in the 1870s. Great.”

“How do you feel about the Oregon Trail?” Leslie asks.

“Well, I don’t want dysentery,” Ann tells her, “but I am a nurse. So I know how to, like, not get dysentery.”

“Perfect!” Leslie claps her hands.

Ann stares at her. “You watched Little House on the Prairie a lot as a kid, didn’t you.”

“No!”

Ann stares at her some more.

“I read the books,” Leslie says. “Very different.”

Ann laughs. “I read them too,” she admits.

Leslie smiles at her. “Well, with that plus all the assorted knowledge we’ve picked up from Ron, we’ll be just fine,” she declares. “Oooh, maybe we can come back east for the suffragette movement in like 40 years.”

“We’ll probably have been trampled by buffalo,” Ann grumbles, but it’s a good-natured sort of complaint.

Leslie laughs, but then she grows serious again. “Look, I’m really sorry I got you stuck in the past with me,” she says earnestly. “But the time machine is right there in the office, and I’m sure Ron or Ben or Donna or someone will figure it out and come get us. We can leave a message in the past on how to find us, all Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. It’ll be fine. And until they come find us, we can live alone in the wilderness and survive off the land and become awesome pioneer ladies.”

Ann smiles, and reaches out to twine her fingers together with Leslie’s. “I guess churning butter in the wilderness doesn’t sound so bad, as long as it’s with you,” Ann admits, and Leslie smiles back.


End file.
